The Others
by leontopithecusrosalia
Summary: When a group of preteens are having a water gun fight, they accidently stumble into the Owl Kingdoms, and are introduced to a world filled with talking animals, but trampled by war. Taken into the care of Soren, they try to find a way back to their home. But with the Great Tree in heavy conflict with the Pure Ones, how will their existence gone unnoticed? Set in The Siege.
1. The Picture Above the Bed

Soren was catching large billows of wind as he soared to the point where St. Aegolius Canyons and Shadow Forest met. He did not know why he had to go there, he just had a strange feeling in his gizzard that seemed to lead him there.

It all started when Soren needed to ask Mrs. Plithiver, his nestmaid snake, for advice. Mrs. Plithiver was in the harp guild and worked with Madame Plonk to fill the Great Tree with beautiful music. If she was not with Soren, then she was probably practicing with Madame Plonk. Soren walked over to Madame Plonk's hollow, where he was met with beautiful music. Madame Plonk was known for her amazing singing voice. Madame Plonk signalled Soren to wait for her to finish the song before coming in.

_At the edge of the avalanche_

_At the glacier's icy rim_

_Grows the flower of the snowfields_

_Trembling in the wintry wind._

_It dares to live on edges_

_Where naught else would ever grow. _

_So fragile, so unlikely_

_An owl slices through this blow. _

_She dares the katabats_

_Her gizzard madly quivers,_

_But for her dearest of friends_

_She vows she will deliver._

_Like the lily of the avalanche_

_The glacier's icy rose_

_Like a flower of the wind_

_The bright fierceness in her glows._

_The bravest are the small_

_The weakest are the strong_

_The most fearful find the courage_

_To battle what is wrong. _

After all the nest maids had left, Soren entered Madame Plonk's hollow and sat down at her table, with china tea pots and fragments of stained glass windows scattered around. Mrs. Plithiver sat next to Soren, and Madame Plonk sat across from the both, eying them with her fierce yellow eyes. On her head she wore three short peacock feathers. If there was anything Madame Plonk was known for, it was for being glamorous. She made regular visits to Trader Mags, and probably had collected more Other Artifacts from her than anyone else in the Owl Kingdom.

"Soren, did you want to see me?" Mrs. Plithiver asked.

"Yes, well, I've been having dreams of Others. In the dreams they are living in the Great Tree with us, but the Pure Ones are trying to get them from us."

Excitement poured into Madame Plonk's gizzard. Soren was what most owls called starcrossed, which meant that most of Soren's dreams somehow gave hints on what would happen in the future. _Will I get to see a living, breathing Other? _She thought. _I must prepare then. I'll fix food that the Others ate, and I'll try to make Other clothes. Maybe I should think about having Bubo make a bed, or..._

"Madame Plonk, is that a new picture you have above your bed?" Soren said, shaking Madame Plonk out of her thoughts.

"Oh, yes." Madame Plonk started, trying to contain her excitement. "Trader Mags found it hardly a week ago on the border between Shadow Forest and St. Aegolius Canyons. I had to give up two pearl necklaces just to see it, and six more to keep it." Madame Plonk explained. "Would you like to see it?" She asked.

Before Soren could answer, Madame Plonk was already fluttering over to where the picture was. She delicately plucked it out with her right talon and handed it to Soren.

"It's the best picture of an Other Mags has ever found. You can't even see the paint strokes." Madame Plonk said proudly. "And also, there is a whole group of them. Six, can you believe it?"

"Hardly," Mrs. P said softly.

Soren examined the picture closely. On the far left corner was a girl with light blonde hair that she wore in a pony tail. She was holding a huge water gun. Next to her was another girl with a piercing set of blue eyes. On her shoulder was a bright red cardinal. On the other side of her was a girl with wet, wavy brown hair and a big smile. The other three were all boys. The one with reddish hair held a soccer ball. Next to him was a completely soaked boy with macoroni hair. The last one had curly brown hair and bulky glasses, like the first girl, he also had a water gun. Soren closed his eyes in disbelief.

"Everything all right?" Mrs. P asked Soren gently.

Soren slowly opened his eyes. "These... these are the same others from my dream." He said carefully.

Madame Plonk nearly fainted. "So, is this enough proof that Others will be coming to the Great Tree for the first time?" She spoke rapidly.

"Maybe," Soren said softly.

"I am terribly sorry to interupt, but I think it is time for the recital." Mrs. P said.

"Oh my, it is. We'll have to talk about this some more later, this topic is very interesting."

Madame Plonk gracefully exitted her hollow and Mrs. P slithered behind her. Most of the owls sat down to listen to Madame Plonk sing, but Soren did not. He had other things to do. Important other things to do.


	2. The Red Bird

Tessa raced up a rough, sturdy tree, avoiding water at all costs. Hidden in the thick foliage, it was extremely difficult to see her.

"Hey, no fair." Jacob said, clearly annoyed. He wiped his curly brown bangs out of his eyes.

"Fine," Tessa said as she climbed down. Right before she got to the lowest branch, she jumped down and ran. Her golden hair flew behind her. She turned around for one second to see all the boys, Jacob, Adam, and Anthony all ganging up on her. She looked around desperatly, trying to find a way to get away from them. As she rounded a long, green bush, she saw Vanessa hiding with a huge water gun. Tessa shot her a quick look that said _Help me!_ Vanessa never wasted time.

Her wavy brown hair got in her face as she sprung to her feet, but Vanessa did not mind in the least. She pulled the trigger before the boys even knew she was there. Anthony jumped as his back was met with freezing water. Vanessa's gun was a lot bigger than any of the boys, so it took a long time before the there was no water left in the gun. Much to Vanessa's luck, none of the boys had enough sense to not shoot at the same time, so their guns ran out long before hers.

Vanessa chased them straight towards the next ambusher, Holly, who jumped down from the shed roof. She landed perfectly on both her feet with no injuries. But Holly did not waste time thinking about it. She blew her bangs out of her eyes and started shooting. If the boys were soaked before, they might as well have taken a swim in the lake, because by the time Holly was done with them, it looked like they had been doing exactly that.

"Sorry guys, but I think we win... again." Vanessa said as the boys held their hands in the air, signalling their surrender.

"You must cheat somehow." Anthony said.

"No, I have never cheated, ever. And I am not about to start." Holly responded. "Has anyone seen Tessa?"

Jacob immediately pointed to the tree that Tessa had climbed when she tried to escape him.

"Tessa," Vanessa started.

"What?" Tessa said as she poked her head through the branches.

"I'll never know how she does that. I can climb sheds, but I cannot hang from tree limbs thirty feet in the air." Holly muttered.

"I thought your mom said you could not go up that high." Adam said.

Even though Tessa was almost three stories high and everyone else was at ground level, they could still see her face go tomato red.

"Well, I think someone who is part monkey can handle being up this high without falling." Tessa shouted. She would never get used to shouting, but she knew that she had to in order for the other people to hear her.

This time it was Adam's face that went red. Everyone knew that she was refering to the time in third grade when he was so convinced that she was part monkey, that he called the police station. It had not been a pleasant experiance for Adam or Tessa. Adam's parents were convinced he was paranoid, and Tessa was supposedly grounded from climbing more than twelve feet high. But that was boring, so Tessa always climbed higher when her mom was not looking.

"Are you going to come down from there?" Vanessa asked.

"Yep," Tessa said as she skillfully swung down from the tree. Her piercing blue eyes glowed when she saw a red bird fly two feet in front of her.

"Quick, get a net." Adam whispered to Jacob.

As soon as Jacob started to run, Tessa tripped him.

"Nice try," She said angrily.

The red bird flew away into a large, green bush. Adam followed it, determind to catch it. Everyone else was caught up in a conversation. As soon as he got far enough, he started to run, but he tripped on a twig and started rolling. The red bird looked at him innocently. _Strange,_ thought Adam, _wasn't the hill supposed to end here? And why are there trees on one side and desert on the other? _Adam kept on rolling for a very long time.

Meanwhile, Anthony had just noticed that Adam was gone. "Where's Adam?" He asked.

"He didn't seriously..." Tessa started.

"Calm down. I think he did try to follow the red bird, but shouldn't he be back by now?" Holly said.

"Should we go get him." Vanessa asked.

"Duh," Anthony said.

Everyone followed Anthony to the green bush.

"This does not make sense," Vanessa said. "I was hiding here when we were doing the water gun fight. Wouldn't he be here?"

"I bet he's just trying to play a joke on us." Jacob said.

"Well then, maybe we should go in after him?" Holly suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea," Anthony said sarcastically.

"Well, what's wrong with that idea?" Holly asked.

"Fine," Anthony said as he sat down his soccer ball. It rolled under the bush, and seemingly right through the fence.

"Where did it go?" Jacob asked nervously.

"You know where it went," Anthony answered. He sounded very annoyed.

"Are you going after it?" Holly asked.

"Of course I am. That ball is a family heirloom, it belonged to my great great grandpa." Anthony answered. He ran into the bush, everyone waited for five minutes, he was not back.

"Okay, guys, I'm starting to get a little scared." Tessa said. Her piercing blue eyes seemed to fade.

"We'll just all go after them together." Holly promised.

They all slowly crawled under the bush, and saw a large hole in the fence. It would have been big enough for a grown man to fit in, much less the boys and a soccer ball. Jacob went in first, then Vanessa, Holly, and finally Tessa. The fence closed behind them, they were stuck.


	3. Into the Owl Kingdoms

"So, Tessa, can you climb fences as well as you climb trees?" Jacob asked.

"Well, let's use some logic here. I see a fifty foot, flat fence with nothing but desert and a couple short, scattered trees around it. Do you seriously think there is a way over it?" Tessa answered. She knew that there was no way around it, and no one really bothered to wait for Jacob to answer her question.

"Hey guys, over here!" Adam called. Anthony waved at them. Everyone ran the couple ten meters over to them.

"First order of business," Holly started. "Does anyone have any idea how to get out of here?"

"Well, Tessa could climb up the fence and ask for help..." Anthony started.

"Really?" Tessa said under her breath.

"Okay, fine. So maybe you can't climb over the fence." Anthony said.

"Well, then, I guess we're stuck. Maybe if we knew where we were, we would know how to get out." Vanessa suggested.

Everyone was quiet.

"You know, most people would think that a hole in their backyard fence would lead to their neighbors in back of them." Adam said.

"Okay, so let's get this straight. We are stranded on in an unknown area with no way to get out. I can't even call it an island." Holly said.

"Well, that just means that we can't go fishing or try to climb up coconut trees. Just because most people get stranded on a desert island in the movies, if they are stranded at all, doesn't mean that people haven't gotten stranded someplace else. I'm pretty sure that if we just figure out some way to cooperate, we'll thrive here." Vanessa said.

"Very inspirational." Anthony said sarcastically. "Aside from planning inspirational speeches, I really think we should figure out where we're going to sleep."

"Can't we just do the traditional thing and sleep in the grass under a tree?" Adam asked. He hated doing more work than necessary.

"I guess we could if you really want to." Tessa said.

So it was settled, they would be sleeping on grass. But Tessa planned on sleeping in a tree instead. She had always wanted to try that.

Meanwhile, Soren was deep into Shadow Forest. He was almost at the very western edge of the Owl Kingdoms, and was about to fly back to Silverveil, when he thought he heard a twig crack. As he looked down, he could hear what sounded like hatchlings bickering, but there was no Hoolian accent. Soren slowly spiralled down and sat on a high branch in a fir tree. He would watch for a while, and try to determine what they were.

Soren almost went yoicks when he saw them, not one, not two, but six others. They were the same others from his dream, the same others Madame Plonk had a picture of. First the dream, then the picture, and now the real thing. _I'm just dreaming again._ Soren said, trying to convince himself. But he knew very well that he was not dreaming. Soren knew that this was real, but he did not know how he should react. Soren had never heard an other, all he had seen was the things they left behind.

"Tessa, come on, can't you just figure out some sort of way to climb the fence?" Adam said. It was not really a question, but an order.

"Do I really need to tell you again how hard that would be?" Tessa replied defiantly.

"Who knows, maybe we could make the discovery of the century in here." Holly said, trying to be optimistic.

"Or maybe we could be stuck here for the rest of our lives and never see civilization again." Adam replied.

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Of course we're going to figure out a way home... Tessa, what is that?" Vanessa was pointing at the same fir tree Soren was on.

"Oh, that's a barn owl. At least I sometimes see them in my backyard." Tessa answered.

"See everyone, there's something to be happy about." Vanessa said happily.

Soren knew he was spotted and decided that he might as well fly down to get a closer look.

"Look, he's coming closer." Jacob whispered.

"Actually, you don't have to refer to me as a he. My name is Soren, what is yours?"

Vanessa began to feel light headed. Adam did not say anything sarcastic. Anthony held his ball a little tighter. Jacob tried to run away, but he tripped on an exposed tree root. Holly froze, and Tessa tried to escape by climbing a tree.

"Are you all fine? Haven't you heard an owl talk to you before?"

Adam was the first to recover. "Well, no, not really. We've never heard any animals actually talk to us."

Tessa slowly climbed down the tree she was previously hiding in and slid down to the grassy ground. Soren's gizzard trembled as his dark eyes locked on to her piercing blue ones. She seemed to understand him just by looking at him, like his friend Digger.

"Where are we?" Tessa asked. There was something about the way her voice sounded that made her seem like the most interesting person in the world.

"The Owl Kingdoms. You're on the border between Shadow Forest and St. Aegolius Canyons." Soren answered.

"Well, can we go into the canyons? Is it as big as the Grand Canyon? I would really like to see if there are any gila monsters." Holly started.

"No," Soren replied instantly.

"Why?" Anthony asked. He was very suspicious.

"I'll explain everything to you later. Right now, it would be best to take you back to the Great Tree."

"The Great Tree?" Vanessa asked.

"Like I said before, I'll explain later. The sooner we get there, the better. I want to try to get to Silverveil within two nights."

"Silverveil?" Vanessa said curiously.

Soren became very annoyed. "I'll explain everything later." He insisted. For once he was happy owls could not roll their eyes. Soren lighted off of his branch and the others just assumed they were supposed to follow him. They were on their way to the Rogue Smith of Silverveil.


	4. Silverveil

Tessa peered through the bushy shrub that covered the ground. It was extremely nice compared to The Barrens. Soren had decided that they had to take the fastest route. Consequently, the Others had not gotten to see most of Shadow Forest. The Barrens were very self explanitory, according to Soren, it was almost the same thing as St. Aegolius Canyons, except there were less bushes. Much less bushes. It was almost like walking through a desert, however, there were none of the famous sand dunes that most people think of when they hear the word 'desert'.

So, the Others had somehow made it behind an over-excited Soren, who was extremely amazed by his discovery. Who would have thought that young others were so similar to hatchlings? Soren was really warming up to them, and he had his gizzard set on getting to the Great Tree as quick as possible. The more time they spent out in the open, the more likely it was that the news would get around, and if too many owls, or even just creatures, saw the Others, the Pure Ones would find out.

"So, where are we going?" Holly finally asked, trying to break the ice.

"Well, it depends on how you look at it." Soren said.

"What do you mean by that?" Anthony responded.

"We have one destination, but there will be plenty of stops in between. We'll try to set camp at Silverveil."

"Silverveil, I like that name. It sounds enchanting." Vanessa said optimistically.

"Believe me, it is a lovely place." Soren said, smiling.

Meanwhile, back at the Great Tree, Soren was certainly missed. Gylfie was perched on the branch above her nest, with Digger and Twilight beside her.

"Where is he?" Twilight said.

"I know he's out on the mainland somwhere. I just can't believe he would leave without us." Gylfie said, there was a slight tone in her voice that made her sound hurt. Digger, who was the most philosophical one, sensed this feeling.

"It must have been important then. Maybe he had to leave right away." Digger reasoned.

"And he could not spare one minute to ask if we wanted to come with him?" Gylfie continued.

"Okay, Gylfie, this is foolish. What are you trying to prove. Soren is your friend, and he would have told you if he could." Twilight started a little harshly. Gylfie wilfed. "Now, there is some perfectly good vole with your name on it in the Dining Hollow. Why don't you take it?" Twilight said gently.

Digger patted Gylfie on the back and gave her a reassuring look. Gylfie smiled softly. She was surprised that Twilight was actually able to talk to someone without his usual rough and boastful nature. The three owls flew off their perch and had begun to walk towards the dining hollow when a large snowy owl got in their way.

"Madame Plonk?" Twilight asked.

"I couldn't help but notice that Gylfie was wondering where Soren went. Come with me, I have something to show you."

So, the remaining members of the band followed Madame Plonk into her overly fancy hollow.

However, if someone was to look into Madame Plonk's dear sister's hollow, it would have looked quite different. First of all, it was not a hollow at all. It was a forge. Madame Plonk's sister was a rogue smith, and a good one at that. In its previous life, the rogue smith, otherwise known as Thora or The Rogue Smith of Silverveil, believed it to have been part of a castle. So, yes, that meant that the forge was on the ground, not in a tree. Secondly, the occupants of the hollow were much different than four owls and a nestmaid snake. Rather, there were six Others and two owls, one that was sooty in color, despite being a snowy owl, and the other strikingly resembling Metal Beak.

The rogue smith was still trying to understand what was going on. She had never really done well in crowds, but she could not avoid the crowd Soren had given her.

"So, let me get this straight. You were just flying around in Shadow Forest and happened to run into these... hatchlings."

"Yes, that is basically what happened." Soren answered.

"Do you know where the Others went?"

"I think they fell asleep outside."

The rogue smith could indeed hear faint snores coming from outside. Her gizzard felt warm, almost motherly as she gazed down at their peaceful faces. She could not help but smile when she saw Tessa sleeping in the central part of a tree. _She is indeed part monkey._ The rogue smith thought. _What am I thinking? I am not a mother. These are not even of my kind. _She snapped back into focus and glided back into her forge.

"Would you like a squirrel or a vole?" The rogue smith offered.

"Surprise me," Soren answered plainly. And so the rogue smith lighted off into the moonlight.


	5. Attack

Hello everyone! All this reviewing and my positive attitude has caused me to... RESURFACE! That's right, I'm going to TRY and get back to updating this story regularly.

For those of you who have been wondering where I have been, I was selected to take part in a 24 Tributes 24 Authors story. If you're scratching your head, trying to figure out what I'm talking about, I don't blame you, because it has nothing to do with Guardians of Ga'Hoole. Basically, it's a Hunger Games fanfiction, where 24 authors come together to write one giant story. Each author writes for their own tribute, and the tribute's progression through the games is based on the author's writing ability, character growth, believability, and sometimes even fan support. I write for Atalanta Zimmerman, the fiery District Five female, who is like the Clove before Clove, except even awesomer... if that's possible. So you better be rooting for her, or I'll send Fregley and his puppet after you! XD Sorry, that's an inside joke between me and my friends. You might get it if you've seen the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Anyways, the story centers around the 25th Hunger Games, when tributes were voted in. Just to warn those of you who like a clean read, I'll tell you ahead of time that there is some language, and there will obviously be some violence once we reach the bloodbath, but you can always read my chapters! I value my cleanness. XD Seriously though, if you like Hunger Games fanfictions, then I really do recommend it, not because I'm in it, but because the authors are AMAZING! Really, their writing skill dwarfs mine, and considering my oversized ego, that's really saying something. If you want to read the story, it's titled Bring Them to Their Knees, and under the account name 24tributes24authors. The story should be in my favorites section if you don't feel like typing all that.

Okay, now I'll stop blabbing about that story, because I really could go on all day about it. I'm also going to try and respond to reviews, because they really do mean the world to me. Starting now. Officially.

AdAstra329- Aw, thanks! I always get that kind of stuff mixed up. Silly English language.

SavageAlex- Thanks, I try... XD

Rachel912- Thanks, at first I honestly didn't know where I was going with this. I never do... But I have it figured out now. I'm so excited!

AeonFirebrand- Thanks, I've always known my writing was special... XD I'm kidding, just in a good mood.

Keep flapping!

tlc234stars- Thanks, I hope you have a great day too :)

Species Unknown- Thanks, actually I was thinking rabbit, but a mouse works too. Goodness, just imagining the look on Tessa's face when she's handed a mouse makes me laugh. XD

The Bird Whisperer- Thanks, maybe they could use a boat? Or a raft? Or they could use those wind currents that were used during The Burning? Okay, I won't spoil anything, I promise! But I must brainstorm now!

Prototron MJ Tornada- Thanks, following means the world to me! So do reviews! And bananas! And owls! Okay, I'm getting a bit carried away XD

I'm also going to try and make the chapters longer, so that way it gives you guys more to read, and I'm able to get into more detail, and such. I'll try to be updating once a week, maybe on Saturdays? But keep in mind that the Hunger Games story is a major priority, because there are specific turn in dates that I have to make, or else I let down hundreds of people, as well as slow down the story, which wouldn't be fair for the other authors. But hey, I can multitask. At least I think I can...

Wow, that was quite possibly the longest Author's Note I've ever written. Now to get to the important part- THE STORY!

The Rogue Smith had seen many strange visitors throughout her years working in Silverveil. A family of frogs asked her for several crafted flowers to make their pond more cheery after a forest fire swept through. An old swan had come by, simply because he felt like talking. A wolf had even traveled down to her for a family heirloom. Yes, it is safe to say that Thora Plonk had her fair share of odd occurrences, but nothing was as extraordinary as this.

_I am getting food for Others, I am getting food for Others. _With each flap, these words filled her gizzard with wonder. Admittedly, Thora wasn't entirely sure if these Others were only good news. In fact, they could draw too much attention.

_Great, just what I need. More conflict._ Although she was a Rogue Smith, Thora did not design battle claws, or any other weapon. Rather, she made intricate designs, that were more decorative than dangerous. Yes, she hated war, she hated fights, she hated unnecessary struggle, and she particularly detested the ever present signs of an ongoing battle. May it be a family crying over the loss of a loved one, or a brave young owl coming home with scars, tattered feathers, and a number of scratches beyond what she cared to count. To the Rogue Smith, war was a pointless act of aggression, that really did more bad than good.

But she silenced her thoughts, not wanting to sound like a hypocrite as she hunted. Sure, it was for food, but every time she killed, she wanted to fly off to the unfortunate creature's family, and apologize for the incredible injustice she had done. But at least she made every part worth it. She lived, so that last night's meal wouldn't have been in vain. She also lived so she could spread peace throughout the world, but that is beside the point. Then, she was hunting.

Snowy owls have an amazing sense of hearing, it was something The Rogue Smith prided herself in, but it didn't even rival that of a barn owl's. However, she could still pick up the rapid pulse of a rodent some hundred feet below, running in a Northeastern direction. Thora churred at herself silently, laughing at how pointless her navigational ability was. She had never left her hollow, and never planned to. She tilted her head down in a way that only an owl could, so her piercing yellow eyes were looking in the general direction of the rodent. It was a brown rabbit, who was more so on the old side of life. The Rogue Smith smiled slightly, she never went after young rabbits, as she felt like they should have a whole life to live.

_Looks like the Others are having dinner tonight_... She thought as her wings went into the familiar position for a death spiral. It was fast, the poor rabbit putting up no fight as The Rogue Smith cracked his neck. A bloodless kill, just the way she liked it. Those were often the deaths with the least pain. Normally, this would be enough food for her and Soren, so she began to fly back until she felt a shift in the wind. Two owls were flying, quite messily. As soon as she saw a bright, scarred moon face, The Rogue Smith dove for cover.

"So, you're saying to Soren's searching for Others?" Nyra said, her voice catching on the last word.

"Yes," Said another voice. It had the raspy sounds of a burrowing owl, and the same disastrous wingbeats as Nyra.

"If this is a joke, Dewlap, I'm not laughing. Don't try and be a double turnfeather, you know Kludd and I have got you wrapped around our talons. Betrayal shall have... dire consequences."

"I'm not kidding, O Pure One, Soren left a few days ago to search for them along the border between Shadow Forest and St. Aegolius Canyons."

"Then we must stop him, who knows how smart these... Others can be." Dewlap nodded in agreement and the two changed directions, much to The Rogue Smith's pleasure.

"So, is this some sort of owl hat?" Adam asked, placing an iron bowl on his head. If he could, Soren would have rolled his eyes.

"Actually, that's a cooking pan," He said, picking the handle up with his talons and set it back on the cluttered table. Adam flushed as the other boys laughed at him.

"Yeah Adam, and this must be a calculator," Anthony mocked, holding up a fallen piece of square stone. Jacob started snorting, much to Soren's surprise.

_So Others can mimic things. _He thought, imagining a toddler version of Jacob, wobbling over to a fenced in pig pen, copying their endless snorts. Their behavior reminded him of his old home, back when he was nestled in his old hollow with his parents, Eglantine, Kludd, and Mrs. P. Even though Kludd lived with him, Soren always looked at those days fondly, simply because he was with his family. And they were happy. _Do the Others miss their families too? _Soren was tempted to question it, but decided to leave it for Otulissa later, not wanting to face her wrath because he ruined her life changing scientific studies.

"Soren, we were wondering if you wanted to play a game?" Anthony asked, looking at him quite seriously.

"Why not," He said, interested in what they were thinking about.

"It's called Quickflash. We ask the person to our right a question, and they have to answer without hesitating. Jacob reentered the hollow with the three girls. "Okay everyone, sit in a circle." Tessa thought about running to a secluded corner, but decided against it, knowing all the well that her attempt would be futile. With her arms crossed, she sat between Holly and Vanessa, not trying to hide the unmistakable scowl that had formed.

"Great, let's start." Adam said, turning towards Jacob.

"Soren's looking for Others?" Gylfie gawked, not believing what was going through her ears. Surely this must be a dream...

"Are you positive there's enough evidence to prove that they still, you know, exist?" Twilight asked, equally shocked. Digger maintained a calm composure, looking at Madame Plonk with his amber eyes.

"There's no time for questions." He said. "We need to help Soren, you know Kludd is bent on killing him. It's dangerous for him to be out there alone." The remaining members of the band come to a silent agreement. They would go search for Soren.

"Yes, you should go, but be forewarned, there may be turn feathers here, and seeing my picture could arouse suspicion. I just want to say, you may not be the only ones looking for him." The three nodded diligently, and filed out of the hollow, intent on leaving as soon as possible.

"We'll meet up at Broken Talon Point," Gylfie instructed as Twilight prepared to leave. "Try to keep a low profile, we don't want to arouse suspicion." And with that, Twilight was out, leaving not so much as a disturbed wind current at his wake. Gylfie smiled happily, for what seemed to be the first time in ages. "You'll be leaving in precisely one hour, Digger, make sure you're ready." The two nodded knowingly, and then parted ways.

The Rogue Smith had constantly told herself never to let her guard down. But at this time, the own time she should have known she could never be too safe, she let her walls crumble, and her safety bubble pop. Of course Thora was an effortless flyer, an amazing owl who could leave less of a trace than a fine spring leaf, wavering in the wind. But of course, she managed to forget about the rabbit, whose neck she had grasped between her talons in a death grip. Two squirrels and a shrew later, there was enough disturbance to send a fleet of Pure Ones to her location. Of course they caught her, why wouldn't they? After all, it was ten against one.

If it had been suspicious to feel so many changes in the wind currents, trying to juggle a rabbit, two squirrels, and a shrew while flying was practically waving a flag saying _Come and get me. I have free food!_ Even a hatchling could have figured out that she was hunting for more than herself and another owl. Thora couldn't really do anything as the Pure Ones pinned her against a spruce tree, denying her exit. All she could do was hope they wouldn't find her hollow, but that seemed a bit too fantastical.

"So, Tessa," Vanessa said, turning towards the hopelessly annoyed girl. "If there was one thing you did that you wish you could change, what would it be?"

"Playing this game," Tessa rolled her eyes, and then stared at the exit longingly. "Holly, what's your favorite thing besides a water gun?"

"I don't know, a-" They are interrupted by a deep, booming voice coming from the entrance.

"Follow us, or someone gets hurt," A young barn owl with full blown battle claws said.

"That can't be the Rogue Smith," Adam said.

"Nice observation, Einstein." Tessa smirked, debating on what she should do.

"You guys, this is no time for bickering," Soren said, flying up so he was level with the owl.

"Soren, I'm not alone," The owl said, putting on a maniacal grin. Six more owls came in from behind him, storming the hollow, each targeting a specific Other. Tessa ducked clumsily, barely avoiding the first blow. The owl said something under his breath, and came again, targeting Tessa's arm.

"You do realize I'm perfectly capable of moving these, right," She taunted, while the owl flapped frantically to avoid collision with the floor. Just before he circled back around, Tessa grabbed an object that Adam had previously assumed to be an owl hat and shoved it in his talons. "You may be faster, but unfortunately for you, I'm still stronger," She said. The bird retreated, figuring he couldn't afford any real damage. Realizing his defeat, Tessa crawled under a table, and waited for the fighting to stop.

Soren watched helplessly as four Others were forced out of the hollow, and lead to a distant place to be put under maximum security.

_That leaves two._ He thought, feeling a surge of hope flow through his gizzard. Maybe they could figure out a way to find their friends, and assuming the Pure Ones didn't find out they weren't all captured, it wasn't impossible.

"Are there any left?" A gruff owl asked, reading Soren's mind.

"No," Soren said. "They're all gone." He looked off in the distance, trying his best to look solemn as he was lead with the Others to the Pure Ones' fortress, where Kludd would be waiting quite happily.

_There are still two left, Adam and Tessa. Hopefully they don't attack each other before help comes... _


End file.
